Francis imitated Christ so perfectly
that towards the end of his life our Lord wished to point him out to
the world as the faithful imitator of the Crucified, by imprinting His
five wounds upon his body.

Two years before his death,
when, according to his custom, Francis had repaired to Mt. La Verna to
spend the 40 days preceding the feast of St. Michael the Archangel in
prayer and fasting, this wonderful event took place. St. Bonaventure
gives the following account of it:

"Francis was raised to God
in the ardor of his seraphic love, wholly transformed by sweet
compassion into Him, who, of His exceeding charity, was pleased to be
crucified for us. On the morning of the feast of the Exultation of the
Holy Cross, as he was praying in a secret and solitary place on the
mountain, Francis beheld a seraph with six wings all afire, descending
to him from the heights of heaven. As the seraph flew with great
swiftness towards the man of God, there appeared amid the wings the
form of one crucified, with his hands and feet stretched out and fixed
to the cross. Two wings rose above the head, two were stretched forth
in flight, and two veiled the whole body.

Francis wondered greatly
at the appearance of so novel and marvelous a vision. But knowing that
the weakness of suffering could nowise be reconciled with the
immortality of the seraphic spirit, he understood the vision as a
revelation of the Lord and that it was being presented to his eyes by
Divine Providence so that the friend of Christ might be transformed
into Christ crucified, not through martyrdom of the flesh, but through a
spiritual holocaust.

The vision, disappearing,
left behind it a marvelous fire in the heart of Francis, and no less
wonderful token impressed on his flesh. For there began immediately to
appear in his hands and in his feet something like nails as he had
just seen them in the vision of the Crucified. The heads of the nails
in the hands and feet were round and black, and the points were
somewhat long and bent, as if they had been turned back. On the right
side, as if it had been pierced by a lance, was the mark of a red wound,
from which blood often flowed and stained his tunic."

Thus far the account of St.
Bonaventure. Although St. Francis strove in every way to conceal the
marvelous marks which until then no man had seen, he was not able to
keep them a complete secret from the brethren. After his death they
were carefully examined, and they were attested by an ecclesiastical
decree. To commemorate the importance of the five wounds, Pope
Benedict XI instituted a special feast which is celebrated on September
17th, not only by all branches of the Franciscan Order, but also in
the Roman missal and breviary.

ON LOOKING UP TO THE CROSS

1. With the example of our holy Father St. Francis in mind,
consider what effect a glance at the cross should have on us. It led
Francis from the service of the world to the service of God and to
penance. A look at the crucifix should remove from our hearts all
delight in the world and fill us with sorrow for the sins we have
committed in the service of the world, and of our evil passions. For
what other reason was Christ nailed to the cross, and his whole body
bruised? The Prophet tells us: "He was wounded for our iniquities. He
was bruised for our sins" (Is 53:5). Meditation on the sufferings of
our Savior caused St. Francis to shed so many tears that his eyes
became inflamed. -- Do you also kneel before the crucifix and bewail
the sins through which you nailed your Savior to the Cross?

2. Consider that a look at the cross is also a consolation for
the sinner. Our crucified Lord assured St. Francis of the complete
remission of his sins. The Prophet also tells us: "By His bruises we
are healed" (Is 53.5). Moses gave us a picture of our Savior on the
Cross when he raised a brazen serpent on high in the desert, so that
those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpent in punishment for
their murmuring might be healed by looking up to this sign of our
redemption. On the crucifix you behold our Savior Himself. "Behold the
Lamb of God; behold Him who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn
1:29). -- Look up to Him with sincere contrition and lively confidence;
He will also take away your sins.

3. Consider how the contemplation of the Crucified finally
pierced St. Francis through and through with the fire of love, so that
our Lord made him even externally like Himself. A look at the crucifix
should also awaken ardent charity in us. St. Augustine points this
out to us when he says: "Behold the head that is bent to kiss you, the
heart that is opened to receive you, the arms stretched out to embrace
you." Do not look at the image of your crucified Savior in the cold
and indifferent way that one looks at a work of art, to marvel at the
painful expression there represented. Let it speak to your heart and
let your heart speak to it. Serve Him faithfully so that you may one
day be united with Him in eternity.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

O Lord Jesus Christ, who when the world was growing cold, didst
renew the sacred wounds of Thy sufferings in the body of our holy
Father St. Francis in order to inflame out hearts with the fire of Thy
divine love, mercifully grant that by his merits and intercession we
may cheerfully carry our cross and bring forth worthy fruits of
penance. Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.

Text from THE FRANCISCAN BOOK OF SAINTS edited by Marion Habig, ofmCopyright 1959 Franciscan Herald Press